2021 ICHCAP Governing Board Meeting © ICHCAP

The 2021 ICHCAP Governing Board Meeting was convened at the Daejeon Convention Center, Republic of Korea on 5 November 2021. The meeting was held under strict quarantine and attended by eight Governing Board members and Category 2 Centers from China and Japan to discuss different issues faced by ICHCAP, including 2022 projects and budget. Following the last year, some participants, including Board Members outside Korea joined the meeting online due to the COVID-19.

The Secretariat reported the progress of 2021 programs and the key results of pending issues throughout the year, and then brought up to the Governing Board members the four agendas; reappointment of the auditor, revision of the constitution, adoption of the 2nd mid- to long-term strategies (2022-2031) and the 3rd five-year programs and strategies (2022-2026), and lastly, work plan and budget for 2022 for their examination and approval. The agendas passed as drafted, and the Board Members commented that this year’s programs and activities have been successfully implemented, despite the appalling spread of COVID-19, through employing varied online platforms and channels, including Metaverse.

2021 ICHCAP Governing Board Meeting © ICHCAP

Marking the 10th anniversary of its foundation, ICHCAP has looked back on its achievements and rolled out new strategic framework based on the principles and values presented in the UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2022-2029 (41 C/4) and the Programme and Budget for 2022-2025 (41 C/5). Further to these, ICHCAP introduced four guiding values for the organizational development, including innovation and growth, coexistence and cooperation, leadership and planning, and sustainability and development in consideration of the changes in the internal and external safeguarding environments. In particular, the strategies put together for the next decade are differentiated from the previous ones in that ICHCAP began to fully shed light on ICH as a drive for entry into and growth in a new society.

2021 ICHCAP Governing Board Meeting © ICHCAP

2022 projects will be carried out under twelve programs within the framework of four strategic tasks; 1) Establishing and Activating ICH Information-Sharing Mechanisms, 2) Diversifying and Strengthening ICH Networks, 3) Raising Visibility and Awareness of ICH, and 4) Increasing Efficiency in Planning and Management. Setting foot on the threshold of the next decade, ICHCAP will not only strengthen its key functions; information and networking under the new strategic framework, but will also initiate new programs and activities with UNESCO and Asia-Pacific Member States to encourage active community engagement in ICH safeguarding.